NetEase Allegedly Dissolves Team Responsible for Blizzard Games in China

According to reports, Chinese publisher NetEase is dissolving the team that handled Blizzard game operations in China, following the collapse of the long-standing partnership between the two companies. Sources close to the matter revealed to the South China Morning Post that the majority of staff in the department have either been laid off or reassigned to other parts of the company. The Chinese operations for Blizzard games were managed by a unit at NetEase's subsidiary, Shanghai EaseNet Network Technology. Although a team of around ten people will remain to oversee the logistics and customer service for the affected titles, they are expected to stay on for only up to six months. The team, which had fewer than 100 members at its peak, saw many employees leave after the initial announcement of the split between Blizzard and NetEase in November. Some technical staff have already been transferred to other teams in Shanghai. The 14-year partnership between Blizzard and NetEase, which saw the latter handle publishing and operations for key Blizzard titles, is set to expire on January 23, 2023, with no indication of renewal. Blizzard has stated that it is in discussions with alternative partners in China, but sources suggest that an agreement is unlikely to be reached by January 23. As a result, seven Blizzard titles - including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo 3 - will go offline in mainland China on that day. However, the mobile game Diablo Immortal will not be affected, as it is part of a separate agreement and was co-developed by NetEase and Blizzard.